


The Knight and the Frog

by FallingStars5683



Category: Deltarune (Video Game), Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/M, Family, Family Drama, Friends to Lovers, Magic, Male Kris (Deltarune), Meta Humor, Reunions, Romance, Royalty, impending doom, magic lore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-06
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-12 12:13:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16872705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallingStars5683/pseuds/FallingStars5683
Summary: A princess runs away to seek adventure, but the one she finds isn't the one she was anticipating at all.(Princess and the Frog AU)





	1. The Other Half

**Author's Note:**

> welcome to hell, please enjoy your stay

Susanna was done. Her life was boring. She never got to do anything. And when she turned of legal age, her father the King would marry her off to some other boorheaded prince like all the ones she knew, just to keep perpetuating the boring. He never even let her fight in any of the battles! So, she packed her bags and left her stuffy princess life to find adventure.

It would only take about a month before treacherous thoughts that longed for a comfortable bed and good food crept into her mind again. However, she would not be swayed. Gathering up what little of her rations she had left, she strengthened her resolve and kept trekking through the woods. Luckily, she wouldn't have to travel much farther, as within a couple more days she came across a sea port with its own lord.

The port had been opened originally for humans to move cargo, but eventually became an icon in trade, whether it be from humans or monsters alike. Many found lifelong enemies and powerful friends there. Anyone could make it in Borgestad, if you had the right connections.

Susanna had no connections. However, what she lacked in street intelligence, she made up for in muscle power. Soon, disguised as a common boy, she had scored a small job loading and unloading the ships as they came through the piers. The other workers were astounded by her strength, and eventually her employer wrote her a recommendation to the Lord Raposo's Guard. Still disguised as a boy, she passed entrance with flying colors. Thus is how Sargon the Knight came to be.

But of course, that's all just padding for the main story.

* * *

It had been three years since Susanna had entered the Guard, and somehow she still had to struggle a little to keep up with the well-polished Knights that were her peers. Hopefully she never let it show, but every full moon she would sneak out to the freshwater river around the back end of the castle and quietly vent her frustrations out to passing fish, who all burbled happily until she felt better.

Was it girly? Yes. Would she be in trouble if she were caught doing so? Yes.

Did she care? Not a bit.

“...and then Reaper told me I should be guarding the chicken pens! Can you believe that?” Susanna perched her snout on her hands, pouting. “It's like none of them believe in me. Haven't I proven myself over and over that I'm ready for the bigger jobs?” She leaned over, picking up a frog sitting near the base of her foot. It was a cute frog, had a spot like a heart in the center of its forehead. “Hey, Frogface, do you have any answers? I'm a girl in plight and I'm desperate.”

“Well, I think--” the frog started.

Susanna choked out a scream, sliding backwards off the rock she was perched on with an _Oof!_ Several nearby birds took to the air, startled.

“Ow! Well, then forget it if you're going to be like that!” The frog, looking somewhat affronted, turned and began to hop away.

Although still reeling from the initial shock, the girl lurched up and forward from her landing spot, reaching back out for the frog. “Wait, wait, wait, wait! I'm sorry, I just wasn't expecting you to answer! Are you alright?”

Cupped in her hand, the frog was still grumpy, but seemed to have at least calmed down a little bit. “I'm fine, thanks.”

“Oh, thank goodness!” Susanna breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay, now can you please inform me as to why the hell you're a talking frog?”

“I dunno, why the hell are you a girl in the military?”

“It's complicated!”

“Exactly!”

“I asked first, ass!”

“Alright! Persistent, huh? Not a trait I see too often.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing!” The frog drew itself up a little higher. “If you have to know, I'm a prince. From the Northern kingdoms.”

Surprisingly, Susanna found herself pulling on an old geography memory from when she was learning with her governess. “The Icy Mountains? Across the sea?”

“Them's the ones. We handle a lot of sea trade and fishing, all run by my father of the Dreemurr clan. I'm the middle child, Kristopher.”

“...What?”

“Yep! I was out exploring with my cousin when we ran across a witch frozen in a glacier. She couldn't move, but somehow she could still tell we were there, and an enchantment was hurling at Razz's face before either of us knew it. I took the hit, though, and fell into the water. Almost died before getting picked up in the drifts of a ship. I rested and warmed in the cellar, scrounged for food when I could, and when we docked, I got off at the port you've been guarding the lord of so diligently. Came to this stream, got grabbed, and now we're talking!”

“A witch in a...wait, this sounds ridiculous! How do I know you're not just lying to me and saying whatever so I'll like you more?”

“Why would I lie?”

“Why wouldn't you? You don't seriously expect me to believe you're an enchanted prince.”

“I have literally nothing to lose.”

Susanna considered that. “Fine. So...how are you supposed to get rid of this spell?”

Kristopher shrunk a little in her palm. “I don't know,” he mumbled.

“Excuse me?!”

“I don't know! My mother was trying to teach me about magic and stuff, but I always got bored and never paid any attention! Aw, man, all I wanted was a little adventure! Why did I leave the house?”

His bemoaning was sounding dangerously close to Susanna when she was still traveling, and something about it got to her a little despite her better judgement. “Well, if it means you get home faster and away from me, I could help you.”

The look on the little frog's face was as if a thousand rainbows had lit up all at once in the midnight sky. “Really?? You'd do that??”

“I mean, I'm pretty sure Lord Raposo keeps some old magic books in his library, so I could sneak in there during a break in shift and see if he has the answer to your problem.”

Kristopher smiled wide, then pulled himself into what might have been an elegant royal bow had he not been a frog. “It would be an honor to be assisted by a maiden as beautiful as you.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere.” Her heart had picked up pace a little.

The young prince's smile never once slipped. “Well, since we're being so informal with each other, you can call me Kris. What's your name?”

“Sargon.”

“Your real name.”

She could have slapped herself. _Reflex._ “Susanna,” she finally answered. “But...you can call me Susie."

* * *

Three days. It was three days before castle shifts had rotated around to give Susie the optimal position to get into the library. Today, Kris had accompanied her, hidden in the folds of the red scarf she wore standard with her armor. “I need to be able to physically read the spell if I'm going to use it,” he had explained. “Playing Messenger with a spell won't work unless the caster uses it on me verbally first.”

“And how is it that you remember _that?_ ” she had inquired, to which she had gotten a noncommittal shrug.

Now, she really hoped she could pull off a feat like this in broad daylight without getting questioned or detained. Watching the pacing of the guards, Susie timed her approaches with what her fellow Guards could survey, occasionally hiding in a nook in the wall. Honestly, for as strong and agile as they were, her fellow day guards did not hold up to standard this time.

Eventually, she made it through the library doors, quietly shutting them behind her to the crack they were open. She had never been in there before, and the size surprised her. It was quite large, but the sheer amount of shelves made everything past the few first feet feel cramped. Books of all ages and sizes sat neatly in seemingly no real order all over the shelves. This was going to be harder than she had originally thought.

Kris, who had remained helpfully silent, now commented “Nice collection this man has.”

“Yeah, I never would have guessed he was the type to read. Actually, now that I think about it, I don't know anything about Raposo.”

“You've met him before, though, right?”

“...No.”

“But he's your employer!”

“I know! I don't think I've ever seen him before!”

“Does he even exist?”

“Considering how well I'm paid, he better be real.” Susie passed through another row of shelves, still not sure what she was looking for, and almost kicked a small dog in the middle of the aisle. “Shoot!”

“What?”

“It's Raposo's dog! I almost stepped on the little guy!” She frantically started looking around to see if anyone saw. “Oh, man, if this thing starts barking, we're dead!”

The dog, a fluffy white, sat patiently and gave a happy little yip.

“Wait,” Kris said.

“We just got in here, too! I'm gonna lose my job!”

“Susie, wait!”

“What??”

“That _is_ Raposo!!”

She did a double take, staring in disbelief at her amphibian companion. His ruby eyes gave away no jokes. “Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

“How do you know?”

“He said.”

The dog yipped an affirmative, wagging his tail.

“Is...is he enchanted, too?”

“Nope.”

“A monster?”

“No. He's just a dog.”

“So then--” Her brain was stuttering. “--how does he have a lordship? A castle? How does he have all these books?”

The dog gave a shake of his fur.

Kris gave a translation: “He says we should look near the back of the library for what we want. He won't say any more than that.”

Still unsure if maybe there were some bad mushrooms in her breakfast, Susie gave a low bow to the little dog. “Er, thank you...my lord.”

The dog yipped once more, rubbed against her leg until he was pet, then bounded away.

Numbly, the girl realized that Borgestad was a much stranger place than she had originally thought. Delving through the numerous shelves at the back of the library only deepened that notion, as she found books on subjects she had never even heard of. “'Applied Seismology, Fifth Edition'? What use does a dog have for these weird books? What is 'coding'?”

“You can read?” Kris called from several shelves above her.

Realizing too late that commoners normally couldn't read or write, Susie racked her brain for a quick excuse: “Don't tell me that's another trait you don't normally see in us lower-class girls.”

“Why did you have to say it like that? I was just surprised. Good on your family for teaching you.”

Okay, it had come out a bit defensive. “Yeah, I can read. I can write, too.”

He gave as good of an impressed whistle as weird frog lips could give. “And you decided to become a guard? You could have been a scholar! Or a really good con artist.”

“Please, I'm not _that_ much of a bitch.”

Kris didn't respond.

“You know what, maybe I am, but I didn't want to do those things.”

“Ahh, so you just wanted to rebel a little.”

“...So what if I did? Are you saying I'm wrong?”

“I never said that.”

Again, needlessly defensive. Susie needed to calm down. “Sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you--”

“Holy crap!”

She looked up, concerned. “What is it? Kris?” When he didn't answer, she ran and grabbed the ladder from the side of the aisle, pulling it over as fast as she could and climbing up to meet the frog. When she reached his height, she found him trying his hardest to pull a thick volume out of its neat space on the shelf, which wasn't proving at all effective. “Here, I've got it.” She offered her shoulder, which he hopped safely onto, and she pulled the book and climbed back down, sitting down on the floor. “What is this?”

Kris jumped down next to her. “It's a book my mother always kept in her personal library. My brothers and I used to stare at them and try to guess what was inside. It was the only part of the house we never figured out how to break into.” He ran his webbed hand down the spine. “My brothers and I tried everything we knew. We said that we would find out what was in there someday.” He was trembling slightly now, his entire body slouched in misery.

Susie's heart sank seeing how much he clearly missed them. “Well, when we get you back, you can tell them all about what's inside, okay?”

That seemed to make him feel a little better, and he perked up a little. “Yeah. Yeah, that will be fun! Man, the looks on their faces when I tell them I've seen it...”

She was glad that he would be okay. “Then let's take a little break and look inside.” Carefully, she opened the leather cover, which creaked as if it hadn't been opened in a long time. “'Old Mystic Artes, their Uses, their Preventatives, and their Countermeasures', huh? What a mouthful. Sure, it's thorough, but you'd at least think they'd cut it back to--” Then, it hit her. Eyes wide, she glanced at the frog, who seemed to have had the same realization. Furiously, she began turning through pages and glancing at spells while Kris, unable to contain his excitement, started hopping around in anticipation.

Susie almost missed it. She had been looking for the word “frog”, like a fool, and skipped right past what she was looking for before immediately backtracking. “HA!” she exclaimed in victory.

Kris, who had hopped himself halfway down the aisle, came all the way back and perched on her kneeplate. “What does it say?! What's that look on your face?”

For while he had been making his way back, Susie had started reading the page on “Cursed Amphibious Metamorphosis”, and was currently feeling slightly sick. “So...this spell can only be performed perfectly, without complications, by a very powerful caster. Its cures are dubious at best, because no one has been able to perform it well enough to truly test whether or not they'll work.”

“But my transformation was practically perfect.”

“Exactly. That's scary.” She swallowed and continued. “This curse has two cures, one of which is medicinal and the other circumstantial, although the circumstantial one is far less reliable than the medicinal one.”

“What's the medicinal one?”

“Gross.”

“And?”

“Morally wrong.”

“Susie.”

“Ugh, fine! It's three moonblossoms, a bit of webbing from the toes of the frog in question, a pot of spring water, and...a bowl full of the guts of a maiden, all boiled into a single mixture for a fortnight nonstop.”

“What...” The frog prince had curled into himself in revulsion. “Who came up with this?”

“I guess we'll have to kill someone.”

He gave an angry squeak that was too adorable to be intimidating. “Hell no! No murder!”

“How long is a fortnight? Two days?”

“Two _weeks._ ”

“Oh.” That made two weeks longer than she would have liked. “Yeah, this seems like a very bad idea.”

“What's our other option?”

“Laughable at best.”

“Go on.”

“It's...” At this one, Susie found she had to hold in her incredulous giggles. “It's a kiss from someone of royal lineage who loves the one that's been cursed in a romantic sense.”

Kris was silent for a moment. “It says romantic?”

“Yep.”

“No loopholes?”

“Your mother can't do it, Kris.”

“Well. I guess I'm doomed to be a frog forever.”

“Yeah, I-I guess.”

“Why are you laughing?”

At that, she burst out in the ugliest sound she had ever heard. “I'm sorry!” she gasped. “It's just—who wrote this? Who was being so serious when they were writing this down? A kiss from royalty, yeah, that'll fix you right up! Come back soon!”

He smiled. “It is kind of ridiculous.” The smile grew until he was laughing right along with her, another ugly sound that created a cacaphony when mixed with hers. This in turn made them laugh even harder, until it seemed like the entire library was alive with their amusement.

Sure, it seemed strange with what they had just found out. But, really, what else did they have left?

* * *

Kris decided he was going to stay with Susie because, as he put it, “nothing helps being cursed forever like having a friend”. When asked if he would return to his family soon, he didn't answer. Susie was beginning to learn that when he stayed quiet, he was upset.

That didn't mean that he ever forgot about them, though. Over the next few months, he told her all sorts of stories about the mischief he got into with his brothers, including the time he managed to make exotic flowers grow out of the castle walls in the middle of winter and make everyone sneeze so much that the healers had to work overtime for a week. Every one of his tales ended in his mother somehow finding out and at least two of the brothers being punished (albeit not severely), and they were so ridiculous at times that they would leave Susie in stitches. She returned with a few of her own stories from when she was little, although changing them in places to not sound like any more than a common girl, which was surprisingly easier than she thought it would be. Through this, they learned quite a lot about each other, like how, despite working on boats for close to six months, Susie was afraid of drowning, and how Kris had always loved chocolate but hated most other sweet things.

Without realizing, they became each other's closest friends and confidantes, with the exception of a couple things they each could tell they were hiding but were afraid to share. Those they left alone until they knew they were ready to share them. How silly they both found it, that a female knight and a cursed prince could be best friends!

However, it was during a routine shift one day at dusk that the strength of their bond would really show.

Susie's peers were sparring amongst themselves to pass the time. They were on a really boring shift on the outer perimeter, which meant no one would bother them. This was the only place any of the knights would train like this because they feared Lord Raposo a little, but after meeting the fluffy dog, Susie had lost that same sense of mystery. It made her a bit sad.

In any case, the two dueling it out currently were Reaper and Sting, a lanky crane monster and a giant wasp, respectively. The third, Danios, a human, was standing to the side and egging them on. As they watched, Reaper went to lunge, missed, and was swatted in the hand by Sting's hilt. The sword came clattering to the floor. Sting, elated, buzzed a couple of quick victory laps around everyone's heads. “Finally, I won!”

“Nice going, Sting!” Danios clapped enthusiastically.

Reaper, although he grumbled a little bit, was a good sport about it. “Alright, you two, it's your turn.”

Danios nodded and grabbed his sword, walked to the clearing, then turned and waited. And waited. “Sargon. SARGON!”

Susie jumped. “Right!” Admittedly, she hadn't been paying much attention to the fight; Kris had been whispering to her about the time his cousin came over and managed to turn around all of the pranks he and his brother had planned for him. “Cool, good job, Sting. Sorry. I'm coming.” She grabbed her sword and started to head over.

“Hey!” Reaper called. “Your frog should stay with us!”

“Oh, right!” A little embarrassed, she gently lifted Kris off her shoulder. As she placed him in Reaper's feathery hands, he winked, letting her know he would be alright. She smiled, heart satisfied. “Make sure he's okay,” she said to the other knight.

“Sure thing,” Reaper reassured her.

She nodded her thanks and turned back to join Danios. Once they faced each other, they bowed and took their stances. She was nervous, obviously. Danios was one of the better fighters of the rookie guard, and her fighting style still hadn't fully adjusted to the big sword in her hand. Her fingers itched for her hand axes, but they were carefully packed away with the rest of her few personal belongings. But, taking a deep breath, she told herself that if lords could be dogs and frogs could be princes, then she could beat one fellow knight in a fair fight.

The two opponents circled each other carefully. Both left-handed, both about the same height and age. One human, one monster. One boy, one girl.

But only one of them needed to know that last part.

Danios took the first lunge. Susie barely sidestepped it and tried to trip him, but he anticipated it, shifting his weight to jump backwards and clipping her in the leg. She stumbled, but managed to keep her balance. He came and pressed again, and this time she raised her sword to meet it, catching it with her hilt. It was a little awkward, and her arm jolted slightly, but she kept her ground. He gained a little, pressed, then pushed, finally getting her to slip. Shit. She had forgotten just how good he was. Before she hit the ground, he pulled her around by the arm and got her into a hold, not tight enough to really hurt, but enough for her to have to surrender.

Just as she was about to give, however, she caught movement by the wall in the corner of her eye and managed to look over. Reaper was trying to hold Kris out of the way of Sting, who was buzzing around attempting to grab the poor frog. As she watched, Sting snatched Kris out of the crane's hands, holding him roughly and shaking him.

Her vision went red with rage for a moment, and before she knew it, she had thrown poor Danios off her, pulled off her helmet, ran over to the other two knights, and punched Sting in the side so hard he flew straight into the stone wall and bounced onto the grass. Kris fell out of his hands at contact, and she picked him up with the utmost care while saying some quite vile things that she wouldn't remember later. Without even waiting for a response, she cupped her friend to her chest and sprinted as fast as she could to the river.

At her usual rock, she looked over the frog lying in her hands. He was awake, at least, and breathing alright. “I'll probably just have a little bruising for a while. I'm okay, Suse, I swear! Seriously, you don't have to check over every part of me!”

Susie stopped. “Okay. I'm sorry. I just...” She wiped her eyes, only then realizing that she was crying. “He had you so tightly, I thought you were really hurt...”

“Oh...” Kris pulled himself up and crawled up onto her wrist. “It's alright. I'm gonna be fine.”

“Okay.”

They sat like that for a moment, while she calmed herself down and his pain lessened even more as the shock went away. He was okay. He was going to be okay. Susie had to keep telling herself this for a good minute before her blood pressure would believe it. She had been so worried...what would she have done if he really was hurt? No one would have helped her care for a frog, she didn't know how to heal people...he could have died. He could have died, and then she'd be alone again. She'd have no one, just like before, except it would be so much harder, because for a while, she had let herself have a friend. Someone she knew better than anyone else. That she wanted with her. That she...that she loved.

But he was okay. He was okay, and that was all that mattered. Finally breathing a shaking sigh of relief, Susie gave her friend a warm smile. “I'm glad you're okay,” she whispered, and acting entirely on impulse, she lifted him up and kissed his forehead, right on the little heart mark.

He shivered and jumped a little under the unexpected touch. “ _What was that?_ ”

“What did you think it was?”

“It felt like you _burned_ me!”

“What??”

“Jeez, who knew you were gonna add on to my pain?” Kris rubbed his head, obviously miffed. _Note to self: frog kisses burn, apparently._ The little red heart mark was standing out a little bit, like he really had been burned. As Susie watched, though, it started to glow.

_Glow??_

_Glow!!!_

It got brighter and brighter, until the light wrapped entirely around the amphibian in her palm, becoming a twisting ball of light that grew and grew, and then it burst outwards like the petals of a flower, revealing, in the light of the setting sun...

A prince.

A human prince, with brown hair that grew unruly over his face, and a pale fur cloak and boots adorning a warm ice-blue traveling outfit. He was mischievous and handsome, and yet, when he opened his ruby eyes, Susie recognized the same person she knew and loved with all her heart.

They stared at each other for a moment, shocked. And then they both realized what had happened. Susie stood straight up, face absolutely candescent, and tried to say something to her equally flushed friend. Her equally flushed and _very cute_ friend. She also noticed that she was a few inches taller than him, which somehow made everything so much better and _so_ much worse. “Uh...” Neither was sure which had said it.

Finally, Kris managed to utter a “Thank you”. She just nodded in return.

Awkward silence.

Then, something seemed to hit him, and his eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. “Wait...so, if the book was right this entire time, does this mean that you're of royal lineage?”

...Well, there it was, wasn't it? “Um.”

“Susie.”

“Maybe...?”

“Susanna!”

“Okay, yes! I'm a princess! That's a...thing!”

“I have so many more questions now!”

“Look, I left home a few years ago, okay?” She felt suddenly ashamed. “I was bored. Decided I wanted to do my own thing. I told myself I didn't want to go back, but ever since I left, that's all that's been sitting there, in the back of my head. I...miss my parents. I miss everyone.”

“If you miss them, why did you stay away?”

“Because I'm ridiculously stubborn, especially to myself.”

Kris paused. “True. But...” He stepped forward and hugged her. “It somehow led to us meeting, so it can't have been all bad.”

It was real. He felt so _real_. Susie laughed, wrapping her arms around him in return, and then lifting him off the ground and spinning him about. When his feet touched the ground again, he surprised her by sweeping her off her feet and carrying her in his arms.

“I AM WEARING FIFTY POUNDS OF METAL,” she protested.

“Eh,” he said, spinning them deftly in a circle, “I've lifted heavier.”

If the situation hadn't already made it painfully obvious, this cemented that Susie was absolutely in love.


	2. Homeward Bound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tension comes to a head, and danger lurks on the horizon...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i guess i'm writing more of this so enjoy  
> this would have been out faster but i'm sick and therefore don't write as much as i'd like to

They made plans to leave for the North immediately.

With no hesitation, Kris asked that Susie go with him for his reunion with his family, and both of them had more than enough money to get them on the proper ship to take them across the ocean, after which Susie decided she would be returning to her own family. The last thing to do was say goodbye to Raposo, who was uncharacteristically roaming the halls the day of their leave. Dressed in her traveling clothes, the princess gave her lord head scratches and apologized for everything. He didn't seem to mind one bit.

Then, at the front gates, she got a surprise: Danios, Reaper, and Sting had snuck away to see her off. Danios and Reaper had to help Sting forward because the poor wasp was a little terrified. Somehow, he managed to get out an apology that Susie readily accepted, then introduced everyone to Kris again. Sting, mortified, almost flew away, but Kris was able to quickly reconcile with him, and there were no hard feelings to be seen when he and she departed and headed for the town.

Three years had not changed how busy the ports were, and that day was no different, as people bustled about the cobblestone streets, going to shops and boarding ships. The prince and princess clasped hands so they wouldn't lose each other, and then she led him to a tavern her coworkers would frequent when she was still at the docks. As soon as they stepped inside--

“Sargon, sweetie! 'Ow lovely to see you again!”

Susie smiled. “Good to see you too, Muffet.”

The spider woman, patron of the place, descended from the ceiling with a happy grin. “Come in! Sit! Eet's been years. Years! You've changed your look!”

“I did!”

“Finally let yourself be girly!”

“I—you always knew, didn't you?”

“Sweetie, eet was so obvious zat even your fellow dockworkers found out.”

Kris let out a snort. Muffet, realizing he was there, gave him a once-over. “And who is zis!”

“This is, um...” Nothing like trying to make an introduction to realize just how _long_ a story was.

“My name is Kristopher,” he said, lifting the spider's hand to kiss it, “and you look amazing in that blouse.”

Muffet gave her signature giggle, but Susie just sighed. Of course he gets flirty with everyone. What else did she expect from the prince of pranks--

Realizing what was happening, she pushed his head out of the way before it could make contact, and a large amount of black shimmery goo came streaming out of his mouth and onto the floor.

Muffet recoiled. “Oh, my!”

Kris wiped his mouth. “What the heck, Susie? That was gonna be great!”

“Maybe, but not to her,” Susie countered. “You'd be dead right now.”

Muffet, who had a notoriously short temper, nodded. “Eet is true. Oh, dear girl, what have you gotten yourself into with zis?”

“Well--!” Again, the story was too long.

“Oh, come on! I'm great!” The prince put an arm around his friend's waist and smirked. “Right, sugar?”

At that, she had to smile. “Yeah, totally.”

“Right!” And he went in for a kiss on the cheek. Seeing this, she quickly turned her head and, using a bit of magic, shot black goo through her nose all over his face. Muffet covered her mouth to din the guffaws she was making. Kris, opening his eyes, nodded in appreciation, then wiped his face all over Susie's blouse.

Muffet laughed even harder. “Neever mind! You are both een good hands!”

They could have gone back and forth like that for a while, but Susie managed to pull herself back on task. “So, I came to talk to my old crew. We need to get onto the next ship going to the North.”

“Ah, eet is as if you never left, I see.” The spider pointed towards the bar with one of her hands. “Zey are right over zere, at zeir usual spot. I am sure zey would love to see you again.”

Susie looked over. Yeah, there they were, about five of them. The usual crew. Something hurt a little seeing them again, a bittersweet nostalgia. “Thank you, Muffet. I'll be back.” She stood up, giving a little nod, and Made her way through the other patrons to the large table near the back. As she approached, one of the men – someone new, she didn't recognize him – glanced up and spotted her. “Guys, we have a visitor,” he noted.

The oldest one – a human – looked up as well, saw her, and stood up, a huge friendly smile on his grizzled face. “Sargon.” He wrapped the girl up in a bear hug. “I haven't seen you in so long! The guard life been treating you okay?”

“It's good to see you too, Emil.” Susie hugged the big man back. “Actually, I left the guard life. Didn't really suit me anymore.”

Surprised, he pulled back a little bit. “Really now? Sit, tell us. What brought this on so suddenly?”

“It's, uh...” Taking a seat, she turned to where Kris and Muffet were still talking. “It's a long story.”

The monster seated on her other side, Urso, clapped her on the back. “Well, you better start talking!” he growled. “We're very eager to hear this!”

Susie might as well. She felt like they deserved to know. So, she began the story. As she talked, her small audience responded well, laughing at funny parts and gasping when things got tense. The rookie, whose name she had learned was Carlisle, sometimes asked questions or made strange noises. When she was finished, the other two – Harvey and Aldous – clicked their beaks simultaneously in respect.

“Well...Susanna,” Emil spoke, stroking his beard, “it sounds like a very strange situation you've found yourself in.”

“Very interesting...” Aldous muttered.

“A little,” Susie admitted, “but now we need to find a way on to the next ship headed across the ocean. Kris has to get to his family.”

Carlisle raised his hand shakily. “There should be one departing tomorrow that isn't too full. I can ask if that one can take two more.”

The others stared at him. “How did you know that?” Harvey squawked.

“I, uh...” The poor pale human somehow got paler and shrunk a little in his seat. “I like reading the ship records. I know it's kind of against the rules to do that, but it's really interesting, and I memorize them very quickly...”

It was quiet for only a moment, and then Emil slapped the table. “Well, I'd say some good came out of it then! Carmine, I'm going to ask personally that you be moved to the record keeper's position! I daresay you'll be much better at that then lifting crates all day.”

“Thank you, sir,” Carlisle whispered, not even trying to correct the big man on his name.

Urso threw his arm around the human's shoulders. “Looks like things are working out thanks to our boy here, eh, Princess?”

“Don't call me that,” Susie protested.

“Whatever you say, Your Highness.”

Aldous took a sip of his drink. “Speaking of royalty, I would love to meet your prince, if that's at all possible. He sounds intriguing indeed.”

She was about to argue that he wasn't _her_ prince, realized he was, and stopped herself. “Yeah, sure, he's right over there. I'll go get him.” She stood up and started to make her way over, but was met halfway by an oddly nervous-looking Kris. “Is everything okay?”

It took a second for him to meet her gaze. “Yeah everything's good,” he answered, almost too quietly to be heard. “Come on, let's go sit over with your friends.” He turned away and kept walking.

Concerned, Susie wasn't too far behind, but she noted that Muffet had disappeared.

* * *

True to his word, Carlisle had scored them spots on a ship leaving the next day. The duo said their final goodbyes to the dockworkers, and then they were on their way, with the estimated sailing time of a week. Susie stayed firmly in their cabin, wishing that it was shorter. She didn't have “sea legs” yet, as Kris called it, and there was also that whole drowning thing...yeah, it felt much safer to stay inside somehow.

Unfortunately, that also meant lots of time to just think about things, namely what would happen after they made it back home. She knew she was returning as well, but there were so many uncertain factors. It must have shown, because despite being content with talking to the other passengers and crew, Kris always made sure she was okay at regular intervals. Then, on the third day of the trip, he came into the room, stepped to the middle of the floor, sat down, and patted the spot in front of him. “Sit.”

Susie, who was sitting on the bed, raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“Just sit, please.”

Seeing no reason not to, she complied, turning at his request so that she had her back to him. She felt him pull out her loose braid and run through it with his fingers. “What are you doing?”

“My mother always did this for us when we were feeling upset, so we learned to return the favor, even if she couldn't tell us what was bothering her. Needless to say, we all had really nice looking hair growing up.” He pulled out what few kinks were in her silky hair and started to delicately restyle it. “I figured it might help you with the same, even if you feel you can't tell me what's wrong.”

He was right, it was helping a little bit. And, yeah, she really should be talking about this. It was weighing pretty heavy on her. “Okay.” She fidgeted a little. “I've been a little...um, _apprehensive_ about what will come after we both go home. We might not be able to see each other as much as we'd like to. And there's...another big issue.”

“Are you afraid of your parents?”

She didn't answer.

“I get it. You've been gone for, what, four years? Of course you'd have fears about finally seeing them again after just leaving like that. But...” He pulled a strand of hair around. “...if there's anything a parent is, it isn't disdainful to their kids. From what you've told me, yours sound pretty great, even if they couldn't always be around. And, when you get back, of course they'll be mad for a while, but more than that, they'll be relieved to know you're alright and safe.” He finished up and tapped her on the shoulder, and she turned to look at him. “As for us, you know I'll find a way to come see you all the time, even if it's mildly illegal. I don't care.”

That definitely lifted her spirits. “Thanks,” she said. “Do you want me to do yours now?”

“What do you mean?”

“I'm not just gonna sit here and let you do my hair and not offer to do yours.”

“...Alright.”

So they turned around, and she pulled out his ponytail and set to work. “Seriously, though, you've seemed kind of off ever since we visited the tavern back in Borgestad.” Another thing she had been worried about. “Did—did Muffet say something to you when you were talking?”

He was silent for a long moment while she worked. “Look.” His voice was incredibly soft. “It's not something I've been able to...I'm not ready to talk about this yet.”

“Alright.” She finished, revealing an intricate traditional hairstyle for men in her kingdom. It somehow suited his Northern features incredibly well. “You look good, by the way. I guess you were right about this being a good--” She stopped dead. She has finally gone to feel the style he gave her, and it was so odd to the touch that she couldn't figure it out. Two seconds changed that, though. “Is...”

His shoulders started to shake.

“Is this a--” She couldn't finish the sentence, instead opting to clench her fists, cheeks flaming. “Are you _serious_??”

He immediately got up and started to run, cackling.

“OH, HELL NO!! GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE AND FIX THIS!!”

* * *

Day of arrival. The sun was streaming through the port window, right into Susie's face.

She groaned, annoyed. “Kris, wake up,” she mumbled.

From in between her arms, he grumbled.

“Come on. If I'm up, you gotta be, too.”

“Nooooo.”

“Suffer.”

“Too comfy...”

“I know, but we're gonna see your parents today.”

“Mmm.”

“I'll drag you out of bed.”

With a grunt, he finally sat up, prompting her to do the same. They had been up a little later than they normally would have been, and the cheerful sunlight was making them a little groggy. Luckily, they still had a few hours before docking to eat and make themselves presentable, so they took their time, and by the time Angel's Port was in view, they were fed, refreshed, and waiting on deck to depart.

“Almost there,” Susie said, nudging her companion. “You ready?”

“Yeah.” His jitters made his words entirely unconvincing.

She took his hand. “Hey. They'll be happy that you're okay, right?”

He smiled at that. “My own words used against me, eh?”

“You know it.”

“Mom's going to kill me.”

“Not on my watch.”

“I love you.”

The words shocked the hell out of her, but she swallowed the happy lump in her throat. “I love you, too.”

And the ship docked.

Hand in hand, they walked off the ship and onto the pier. Immediately, Kris had to stop his companion from slipping on a patch of ice and falling into the ocean. Well. This was going to be fun.

And if Susie thought the pier was icy...the town was a glacier. Almost literally.

Buildings of stone seemed half-embedded in walls of ice and snow, and cobblestone streets were only visible in well-trodden places. Some places seemed almost as if they were carved from the ice itself, making it unclear how it could possibly be warm in there, but the people seemed unconcerned. Then again, most of the monsters in the town had very thick fur, and those that didn't, including the humans, wore thick furs everywhere.

Susie was definitely unprepared. Her breath came out in thick steam, and she shivered hard. Kris, from under his cloak, noticed this and instantly pulled her over to a nearby furs shop. She insisted that she didn't need it, but he didn't listen, and soon she was outfitted with a _very_ high-quality cloak that kept the cold out much better than her regular travel mantle. She had never seen something so lovingly made, and the snow bunny that made it was delighted to see that her work was in such high regard that the prince himself would pay top dollar for it.

Properly outfitted, the pair set their sights on the castle in the distance, which from where they were sparkled like it was made of pure crystal. It would only take a few hours walking down the deep channel road cut through the ice, effectively keeping out the wind and making the thick falling snow much more bearable. It was inevitable, of course, that they started throwing snowballs at each other, but in the middle of a particularly intense fight, they heard shuffling coming from the direction they were headed to. Expecting a messenger, they stepped out of the way to let them pass, but as the sound rounded the corner of the road, they realized that it was a carriage, drawn by two large and warmly outfitted horses, that slowed upon approach and stopped next to them. The driver, wearing a red cloak and too wrapped up to fully see their face, turned their eyes on the prince. “YOUR HIGHNESS,” they—he—shouted through the storm, “IT'S TIME TO COME HOME.”

Kris squinted at the man. “Good to see you too, Papyrus!” he called back.

“SIR, YOUR MOTHER SENT ME TO GET YOU. PLEASE COME INSIDE.”

“How did you hear I was back so fast?”

“HOW I HEAR MOST THINGS.”

“Ah!” Kris slapped himself in the face. “I should have been looking for those flowers!”

“Flowers?” Susie muttered. She hadn't seen any in the town.

“PLEASE, SIR, YOU'RE GOING TO CATCH SICK IF YOU TRY TO WALK BACK LIKE THIS! I DO NOT WISH TO LOSE MY HEAD TODAY!”

“Yeah, yeah!” Kris rolled his eyes. “Come on, Suse--”

“I'M SORRY, BUT THE GIRL WASN'T PART OF MY ORDERS.”

Susie's jaw dropped. “Are you serious?!!” She was about to fight this Papyrus, but Kris held her back.

“Wait,” he whispered.

Papyrus rubbed where his chin would supposedly be. “...HOWEVER,” he continued, “I DON'T WISH TO LEAVE A POOR GIRL IN THE COLD. PLEASE, BOTH OF YOU, HOP IN.”

Kris gave a small salute and helped a baffled Susie into the carriage, where it was much warmer. Admittedly, it would have been a little bit of a nightmare walking all the rest of their way, but at least the cold helped keep their minds off things. In the carriage, all they could do was sit in anticipation. The longer they sat, the more antsy they became, until they were downright sweating by the time they actually reached the castle's front gates. Papyrus steered them inside, and when they reached the front steps, he stopped, got down from his bench, and opened the carriage door. A very shaky set of lovers stepped out.

“OH DEAR.” Papyrus didn't say any more than that.

From the front door, another tightly bundled figure, this one much shorter than the first and wearing a blue cloak, moseyed down the stairs until he stood with the group. “Everything like you said?” he asked his partner.

“OF COURSE IT WAS. THE GREAT PAPYRUS DOESN'T GET THINGS WRONG!” He put his hands on his hips. “YOU, HOWEVER, SOMEHOW GET SLOWER EVERY TIME YOU DO YOUR JOB! DO YOU EXPECT THE QUEEN WILL CONTINUE TO TURN A BLIND EYE TO YOUR ATTITUDE?”

“Bro, please, take it easy,” the short one said with amusement in his voice. “The queen picked out this job _ice-specially_ for me!”

Papyrus clenched his fists. “ _SANS!!!_ ”

Laughing, the short one – Sans – turned his attention to the other two. “Alright, kids, come inside and get yourselves warmed up. I'll get you two somethin' to drink.”

Numbly, they complied as Papyrus led the carriage away. Now that they were there, Susie could see that the castle did in fact sparkle, not because it was made of crystal, but because of all the frost coated on the walls. Not that she saw much of the outside, though, as Sans led them inside through an ostentatious atrium and into a parlor off to the left. “Gotta hand it to ya, kid, this is a record for ya. I didn't think you could make your mom any madder than the gardening incident, but ya showed me up yet again.”

Instead of looking proud like he normally would, Kris just seemed slightly ill.

“Here, grab a seat, there's extra blankets on the couch.” Sans snapped his fingers, and a fire roared into existence under the mantle. “I'll take your cloaks.”

“Thanks,” Susie piped up for the both of them, since Kris had just handed off his cloak and plopped down in front of the fire without a word. “This is real nice of youAAAAAAA _AAAAAHHH!!!_ ”

For when she had turned back to speak to Sans more, he had taken off the wrappings around his head and revealed a skeleton. Not figuratively, as in a skinny man, no— _an actual literal skull._ His empty eye sockets glowed as if they had the proper organs in them, and his teeth grinned in an oddly friendly fashion. Susie may have been used to many different types of monsters, but this was... _disturbing._ Like she was seeing something that shouldn't be able to exist.

Sans just shrugged it off with a chuckle. “'Salright, kid, I'm more than used to that initial reaction. Me and my little brother both.”

“Your little...brother?”

“Yeah, Papyrus. We're both like this. Skin and bones, but without the skin.”

“...He's the _little_ brother???”

“Ha! Used to be.” He shook his head. “Things turn around so fast and you don't even know it 'til it's hit you hard.”

She had to agree with that. There were a lot of things in her life that had changed really quickly.

“Alright, enough reminiscing. Let's get you seated next to Loverboy there and--”

The door flew open.

“ _KRISTOPHER ARBITRIUS DREEMURR!!!_ ”

Kris jumped about a mile into the air.

Standing in the doorway were two of the most imposing figures Susie had ever seen in her life, and she had royalty as parents. One, standing in the back, was a _very_ large white he-goat with broad shoulders clad in purple king's garb, but his face was kind, and in that moment, a little desperate to calm his companion. The other was a smaller she-goat with her hair in a motherly braid, wearing a soft lavender gown. Her appearance was kindly enough, but right then, her face was absolutely _livid_ , raising the temperature of the room by about six degrees. Susie guessed these were Kris's parents, the King and Queen – Asgore and Toriel.

“Please, darling, he's just got back!” Asgore pleased. “At least let him rest first, and then we can all talk this over--”

“Every time I think you're done, _every time_ I start to let my guard down, you do something like this!” Toriel plowed right over her husband's words. “ _Four months,_ Kristopher! This is the longest you've ever been gone—and look! This time you've roped someone else into your nonsense!” She threw her arm in Susie's general direction. “She had _nothing_ to do with whatever you've been off doing, and now she's here, wrapped up right along with you! What do you think her parents are going through right now, huh??”

Despite Toriel's words hitting home, Susie felt almost offended and more than a little angry. “Excuse me, Your Grace,” she cut in. “What he went through was not his fault, and I chose to be here! My parents have nothing to do with my decision to help him get back!”

“ _YOU--_ ” Toriel looked ready to leap across the room and strangle the princess.

“She's right, Mom!” Kris, despite his fear, had stood up and rushed to Susie's side. “It was completely out of my hands, and she helped me get home! You can yell at me all you want, but you're not touching her!”

Everything seemed to stop, the tension in the air so tight that someone could have played it like a fiddle. Toriel, chest heaving, took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself down, then stumbled over to her son. He stepped back, still in a protective stance, but instead of lashing out, she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug and started to sob uncontrollably. “Y-you have no id-dea how worried I was...” she stuttered around her tears.

Kris, relieved, hugged his mother back. “I'm sorry, Mom, but I'm back now. It's okay. You don't have to worry about me.”

Everyone else let out the breath they were collectively holding. “Sans, please, could you bring us all some calming tea?” Asgore asked. The skeleton nodded and, with another snap of his fingers, he disappeared.

“Um...is it safe to come in yet?” From the doorway, two more people looked in warily: another white he-goat, younger than the King and dressed in a lighter green, and yet another, younger one with slightly greyer fur and pink horns, adjusting a pair of glasses on his face. If Susie wasn't mistaken, these were Kris's brother and cousin, Asriel and Ralsei.

“Yes, yes, come in,” Asgore permitted, moving aside. “We're all settling down now.”

As the two boys stepped inside, they were shoved aside slightly by the appearance of yet another, even younger child, this time a human boy, who, instead of saying a word, ran up to Kris and wrapped his arms around his legs.

Kris gasped, pulling away from his calming mother. “Frisk!!” He lifted up the boy into his arms. “You been okay without me here?”

Frisk nodded.

“Asriel hasn't been picking on you, has he?”

“Hey!” the older brother cried indignantly.

Frisk shook his head.

“Well, that's good to hear.” Kris carried his younger brother to the couch, where they sat down. Following his example, the rest of his family found places to sit like it had been practiced quite a bit.

With a puff of smoke, Sans reappeared, this time with his brother, both carrying tea sets. “We figured you all would end up in here, so we brought plenty extra,” he explained.

“TEA FOR EVERYONE!” It seemed that even Papyrus's inside voice was an outside voice.

“Thank you very much, you two.” Asgore gestured for the trays, then distributed cups to everyone himself. Everyone gratefully took theirs and started chatting animatedly to each other. Instead of joining in, Frisk produced a little wooden slider puzzle from somewhere and absorbed himself in it.

“I'm really glad everyone's alright,” Ralsei finally said. “But, can I please ask...who is she?”

The Dreemurr family turned to look. Susie hadn't joined them sitting down. She felt incredibly out of place there and couldn't figure out why. “Um...” she tried to say, but--

“Everyone,” Kris announced, standing up and joining her, “this is Susanna. My fiancee.”

* * *

So that happened.

Instantly, the entire family lost their minds again, and for good reason. The younger generation were all squealing about how cute it was, Asgore's brain looked like it shorted out, and Toriel could barely form a coherent sentence. _You can't just marry some girl you met on the street!_ It got a little better when Susie, also bamboozled by the declaration, explained that she was, in fact, a princess. But only a little.

Of course, after that, there wasn't anything else to do but explain the entire story. Doing so with the Dreemurr family wasn't nearly as smooth as it had been with the dockworkers, however. Ralsei kept squeaking at random intervals, Asriel wouldn't stop asking weird questions, Toriel burst into tears again halfway through, Asgore looked lost, and, inexplicably, Frisk had decided to take up refuge in Susie's lap so that he could play with her hair. Sans and Papyrus left shortly after the retelling began, looking glad to be gone.

Kris and Susie had been bouncing details and other points off each other as they told it, making the whole process last way longer than it should have. By the time the story was done, all the tea had been long gone, and everyone seemed enraptured by the words of the newly engaged couple.

“Which reminds me,” Susie finally said, “since when were we engaged?!”

Kris froze. “I know, it was a little hasty to say, but--”

“But what??”

“I panicked.”

“ _What._ ”

“I thought if I just said that we were a thing, that it would get shrugged off! I didn't want to lose you, so I panicked!”

“So you're just gonna say we're engaged instead?!”

“...I mean, do you not want to get married?”

“I...I do, but...I do.”

“So...will you?”

“...Yes. I'll marry you.”

The room erupted again, which was the first time either of them remembered that they were, in fact, surrounded by family members. Which, of course, made both of them blush down to their necks. Frisk smiled and wrapped his arms around Susie's neck.

“Does this little dude ever talk?” she asked, to try to break the awkward.

“No.” Kris ruffled his brother's hair. “There's nothing wrong with him. He just doesn't. I guess he hasn't found the right reason to yet.”

“Hmm.” She looked down at the kid in her arms. “You know, there's a kid around your age that works at my castle. I think you two would get along pretty well, if you ever wanted to meet him.”

Frisk's eyes lit up, and he nodded enthusiastically.

“Alright, then. You'll come with me when I go home and see them again.”

Toriel clucked her tongue at that. When she had heard that Susie hadn't seen her parents in almost five years, she had almost had a heart attack. Seemed like the idea of someone being even worse than her middle son in that regard had never even occurred to her. It didn't stop her from immediately offering the girl a room for the week, which the latter had graciously accepted. No doubt the mother would let her youngest take an opportunity to have some (supervised) fun outside of the castle walls.

By that time, it was nearing time for everyone to go to bed, so Toriel rounded everyone up and got them all changed. A spunky servant girl was more than happy to help Susie to her room, which was, admittedly, larger than the one she had at home. Plus, it was right next to Kris's room, so added bonus.

She had changed for bed and was looking out the window at the aurora when her door slowly opened behind her. Two faces poked their way in.

“May we enter, please?” Kris asked.

Susie stifled a laugh. “Come on in.”

He slid in, along with, of all people, Ralsei, who closed the door behind him. They joined her at the window, Kris throwing his arms around his bride's shoulders. “You doing alright?”

“It feels like you should be the one being asked that, but okay.”

Ralsei, much more proper, dusted off the seat before taking it. “I'm sorry to intrude, Susie, but it felt like we weren't able to talk to each other much earlier. I'd like to get to know you a little better, since we'll be family and all.”

Was this kid twelve or sixty? “Yeah, sounds great! You're pretty quiet, so it was hard to talk to you with everyone else around.”

“Understatement of the year,” Kris commented.

“Shh.”

Ralsei held out his hand. “So, since we weren't able to get in an introduction, my name is Ralsei.”

Susie reached up and shook it. “Nice to meet you proper.”

“Same to you!” He looked out the window at the sky. “Nights are always so pretty here...whoa.”

“Right? I've heard about the aurora, but I've never seen it before now.”

“No.” Kris had stood up and was now looking out the window too, almost scared. “That's not the aurora.”

“Wait...what?”

“I've never seen that before!” Ralsei sounded even more worried, and a little bit frustrated. “That has to be some sort of magic, but of what, I'm not sure.”

They all stared out at the lights, and their convergence point...

A glacier to the north.

“Oh, _no,_ ” Kris breathed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> when you make a rusty lake reference and then realize no one will understand it  
> toby blease where is my girl muffet


	3. Witch of the Frozen Sea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Horrors abound as the three heroes try to stay together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhh i'm not dead i just have a shit sleep schedule  
> enjoy this mess of a finale while i finish up the epilogue  
> bonus scene might come if i'm feeling up to it

The three of them hatched a plan in secret.

Ralsei, who had seemed to be a bookworm upon first glance, proved to be even more so when he spent three days in a row in the library doing nothing but reading through every old magic book he could get his hands on. Kris spent days with the captain of the royal guard, a burly fish woman, drilling sword exercises and muttering to himself about something he wouldn't share. Susie set to work readjusting herself to her usual fighting style, which was easier than it had any right to be. At night, they met and talked endlessly about whatever they could to prepare for what they were going to do. Despite everything, Ralsei couldn't find anything on the being in the ice, and Kris seemed more nervous and stressed every day. Susie didn't know what to do, and her worry would only keep rising.

Eventually, she needed a breather, so she went where she would normally go when she was back at home: the roof. Finding a good window to climb out from, she shimmied down the wall until her feet touched the safe tiles below.

Only to find Kris already there.

“Oh, hey.” He sounded almost too tired to be surprised.

“Hi?” Susie picked out a spot next to him. “What are you doing out here?”

“What are _you_ doing out here?”

“...Touche.”

“Besides, can't a guy appreciate the swirling lights of impending doom?”

She looked out. “He can.”

It was silent for a moment.

Finally, Kris sighed. “I know why you followed me out here. It's 'cause I look like garbage, right?”

He did, but Susie hadn't followed him out. She decided not to point that out, though, and waited for him to continue.

“I've been thinking.” He picked up a small rock and threw it off the side. “You were right that one time, when you asked me if something was wrong.”

“Which time?”

“Ha. I meant the boat.”

“Oh, the – oh.”

“Yeah. It...you were right.”

Susie nodded. “Sometimes...sometimes Muffet says strange things that stick with people. We still can't tell whether she has some sort of premonition or if she's just playing with everyone she meets.”

“You got that right.” He wouldn't look at her. “She said that something was going to happen. No explanation, no clarification. Just that something would come up, and if I wasn't smart about it, you and I would be...irreparably damaged.”

Way darker than the spider's normal tone, Susie would give her that. “Like a breakup?”

“I don't know.”

Silence.

“So?”

“So, I've been thinking.”

“You've said.”

“I don't want you going with us.”

“Well, that's–” It took a moment for his words to sink in, but when they did – “Wait, _what??_ ”

“You heard me. I don't want you coming along. What if something happens?”

“If something happens, I'm gonna be there and I'm gonna know about it, ass!”

“You don't know that!”

“If I stay here, I can't for sure!”

“That's the point!”

“Are you saying I can't handle it?”

“ _No!_ ”

“THEN WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?!!”

“YOU KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS!!!”

They both stopped yelling, breathing heavily. It was impossible to tell who was going to make the next move.

Then, without warning, Kris broke. His shoulders sagged, and his head fell into her shoulder. “ _God, I'm so fucking scared,_ ” he mumbled. With a jolt, she realized there were tears in his eyes. “I'm _terrified_ of losing you. For the first time in my life, I just...this is _awful._ ”

Susie wasn't sure what to say. She felt pretty much exactly the same. So, instead of saying something comforting and fake, she just hugged him, and they watched the lights until who knows when.

* * *

Finally, everything seemed to be falling into place. The three heroes had decided to all go together, but if something were to happen, one of them would get out immediately and get help, regardless of the condition of the other two.

Then, as they were finally ready to sneak away, they were found by the last person she would have expected: little Frisk. He stopped them in the hall as they were making their way out.

“Oh...” Kris shuffled his feet. “Hey, buddy. What are you doing up so early?”

Frisk, not having it, crossed his arms.

“Alright, yeah, we're leaving. But, it's really important, because this could affect everyone. So, please don't tell Mom and Dad?”

Frisk paused for a moment, then reached into the folds of his nightgown. Approaching, he pulled out an old faded ribbon and tied it gently around Ralsei's wrist.

“Thank you?” Ralsei says.

Turning to Susie, Frisk pulled out a small locket, unadorned, and placed it in her hands. No doubt it was once pretty, but it had become tarnished beyond repair. Regardless, Susie carefully hung it from her neck. “Thank you.”

He nodded, then turned to his brother. They looked at each other for a long moment, then, cautiously, Frisk pulled out a small hunting knife. It was gleaming, and had an intricate goat's head with rubies for eyes carved into the hilt. The child placed it with utmost care in Kris's hands.

Kris's eyes widened. “Where—how—are you sure?”

Frisk nodded.

“This is a big risk.”

He nodded again.

“...If you're sure.” Kris slipped the knife into his belt, then hugged his brother tight. “Thank you. We'll be back soon, I promise.”

Ralsei winced at those words.

And then, they were out of the castle, en route to the source of the lights, which had grown so powerful that they could clearly be seen by day, sending dazzling colors out over the kingdom and worrying the king and queen something fierce. It hadn't seemed to affect anything at first, but the longer they waited, the more tired and drained everyone in the castle seemed, which, according to Ralsei, proved definitively that it was some sort of horrible variation of a magic gathering spell. Thankfully, the hasty protection spells they had managed to erect had worked, but they didn't know for how much longer they would last.

It took hours, but eventually they started to see their goal: a huge cage of light at least a mile in diameter. Around it, the winds whipped viciously, threatening to tear away them and everything around them. Even as they watched, the ice was starting to chip and break from the force of it.

Kris took a deep breath. “Ready?”

Susie took his hand, and Ralsei did the same. “Ready,” they said.

They all knew they were lying. But what choice did they have?

With that, they all stepped forward into the light.

* * *

Everything was still.

Snow fell gently around the trio, resting in their hair and clothing. The land was flat, extending into seemingly nowhere. The sky was white, blank. Not a spot of color could be seen.

Carefully, the trio made their way into the center. Nothing. Not a sound. Even their footprints had disappeared into the snow behind them.

“What...” Ralsei started, but–

A sudden typhoon of wind slammed into them, launching them to the side and almost burying them in the snow. When they finally managed to pull themselves out, they saw...a disturbing sight.

Where they once stood was a new figure. A woman, maybe once, but what she had become was something else entirely. Thin, viscous flagella poured out from the very top of a strangely humanoid shape, and crusted spiny fins adorned what seemed to be arms and legs. What may have been skin was now green and mottled, and the air now smelled heavily of rotted fish and sea brine. From the...face, two large, yellow, and slimy fish eyes stared at the three heroes, set in an urchinlike sphere of tangled eel tails. The ground around it boiled with pulsating tentacles that didn't belong to any creature they knew of. Its entire body dripped with a dark liquid that hissed and bubbled violently.

In short, it was as if the entire sea had tried to become a human, failed, and couldn't undo itself.

“ _ **FEED**_ ,” it hissed, sending chills down everyone's spines.

“What do you want?!!” Susie yelled out, struggling to be heard over the ringing in her ears.

In response, the thing raised a barnacle-encrusted finger, and bolts of dark energy shot from its flagella, striking the ground with horrendous force and forcing the heroes to scatter. “ _ **WANT...FEED...HUNGER**_ ,” it spat. “ _ **TRIED...TRIED TO LIVE! TRIED TO SURVIVE! YOU TOOK IT FROM ME! MADE ME HURT! DESPAIR! AND NOW...NOW YOU SHALL FEEL IT!**_ ”

It was almost impossible to do anything. Ralsei raised his hand and spoke a spell, erecting a shield around himself that quickly broke under the pressure. “What are we supposed to do?!!” he cried.

“Try not to die!!” Kris yelled back helpfully.

“I THINK WE KNEW THAT,” Susie screamed, running in. She tried to hack through the tentacles, but the liquid hissed at the blades of her axes and threatened to dissolve them. Cursing, she tried to back away, but the witch was too quick, and a bolt of energy slammed her into the ground several feet away. Dazed, she forced herself to stand, and as she did so, she saw Kris race to Ralsei's side and save him from another blast. She joined them as quickly as she could, adding her magic to their shield. “We need a plan!”

“This isn't going to hold up much longer!” Ralsei pointed out, eyeing the impacts from the witch's magic that threatened to collapse their own spell around themselves. “We're doomed unless we figure out something!”

“At this rate, it better be a miracle!” Susie grunted.

Kris, who had been quiet up until that point, finally spoke up. “Ralsei...you can still do that magic amplification thing, right?”

“It's a longshot, but yeah! But that's so risky, why–”

“Susie!”

“Yeah?”

“ _Skjulte krefter, beskyt min kjærlighet!_ ”

“What??” But one look at her hand told her...well, she couldn't look at it. He had turned her invisible. “Kris, why??”

“Just go! Go! Ralsei, now!!”

Ralsei threw his arms around Kris's middle and began to chant. His eyes glowed white, and tendrils of power began to wrap around the two boys, amplifying their abilities tenfold—a hundredfold, making the barrier much _much_ stronger. The sudden increase in power enraged the witch, and she focused all her attention into trying to break through, leaving her open from the side... _oh_.

_Oh!_

Susie, understanding, slowly made her way out of the barrier, getting side-scalded from the raw power of the assault, and crept around to the witch's side. There was a bit of an obstacle in the writhing tentacles that had stopped her before, but she backed up as far as she could, ran forward, and threw herself over them, lifting her axes above her head and shouting:

“ _Briseadh a cumhachd agus a corp_!”

She didn't have a lot of magic to begin with, and maintaining that barrier had sapped her. But then, from around her neck, something thrummed, washing through her new energy. Maybe, just maybe...she prayed that it would be enough. It had to be enough.

It was enough.

Two red slashes, larger than anything she had ever been able to conjure up before, materialized and gouged themselves deep into the witch's side, sending a shower of a foul crimson liquid spattering into the once-pristine snow. The thing screamed, halting its attack and stumbling away. It tried to heal itself, but Susie, still flying forward, tackled it to the ground. Power still coursing through her, she hacked and slashed violently at the already gaping wounds, screaming uncontrollably in a way she hadn't in a long time. It was only thanks to another force roughly pushing her away that she was able to stop and move out of the way.

Kris and Ralsei had started to advance forwards, Ralsei still zoned into his spell and Kris now crying out a different incantation, the hunting knife now in one hand and a ball of light in the other. Suddenly, the light started to unfurl, shooting out sheets of itself at the witch and wrapping themselves around it. It tried to move, but it was still so injured that it couldn't focus, and was quickly engulfed. The light then grew smaller and smaller with every step, until, at the base of Kris's foot, they were the smallest of all. He knelt down and picked it up, and the lights faded away with his final word, until it revealed...

A warty, disgusting, poisonous frog.

Ralsei stopped chanting and fell to his knees, exhausted. The other two joined him as the world around them faded back into existence, revealing how close they had come to the high edge of a glacier. Ice and snow were thrown everywhere as the area returned to normal.

“What...” Susie wasn't sure how to finish her question.

“A Souleater,” Ralsei wearily answered. “A soulless being of pure hatred and selfishness, born from the pits of the elements themselves. They drain the very essences of living creatures in order to survive.” He gestured to the frog. “This one must have been trapped and sealed away long ago, forgotten by the entire kingdom. Although, now that it's harmless, we could probably throw it into the ocean and let it die on its own, right, Kris? Kris?”

For Kris was staring intensely at the frog, unblinking. Without saying a word, he slowly lifted the knife over his head and brought it down, cutting into the frog's back. The frog screamed an unholy sound, but was too late, as the rubies in the hilt glittered with malice and the frog began to disintegrate into nothing.

“What in the name??” Of everything she had seen that day, this scared Susie the most.

The frog stopped screaming, for it had no mouth anymore. Then, it was gone. The knife began to pulsate, and Kris lifted it again. Before he could stab anyone else, however, he grabbed his wrist, forcing himself to drop the knife into the snow. Breathing heavily, he scooted away.

“What is...” The others were afraid to go near it.

“Don't touch it.” Shakily, Kris pulled out a leather cloth and wrapped the knife without touching it, tucking it safely away into his belt once more. “It's...an old family treasure. The Devil's Knife.”

Susie felt the blood drain from her face. “Oh.”

From the look of it, Ralsei was horrified as well. “You mean...you mean that thing has been in the castle this entire time, under our feet, and no one was constantly freaking out? Your brother somehow got to it and was holding it! Your very young and susceptible brother!”

“I know! I was just as surprised as everyone else! He shouldn't have...” He paused. “He couldn't have...how...”

“What exactly does this knife do?” Susie asked, not really wanting the answer.

Ralsei winced. “The Devil's Knife is a legendary dark artifact of unknown origin. It consumes its victims – mind, body, soul, everything – and...no one knows what happens to them. All we can tell is that each one makes the knife a little more powerful, maybe. But, the wielder must be incredibly cautious, as the power of the knife can consume them, as well.” At this, he turned to his cousin, visibly upset. “Kris, you shouldn't have done that! You don't have the training, and the battle already left you tired! Who knows what could have happened!”

“Yeah,” Susie agreed. “I don't want you dying before the wedding.”

At that sentence, Kris stopped, blinking. “Wait, the...oh my–”

“Yeah, moron! We're engaged!”

“You're marrying a stupid person!”

“I know!”

Ralsei, head in his hands, finally begged to go home and rest. The other two, ceasing their argument, agreed, and they got up to make their way back...

Only to realize that they were lost.

“Well, hell.” Kris kicked at the snow. “Now what?”

“What is that?” Ralsei asked fearfully.

His concerns were aimed towards something trying to wiggle its way through the snow. It twitched, pressed, and finally broke through–

“Is that a buttercup?” Susie asked, incredulous.

It blew in the breeze impossibly and happily. Then, like a miracle, another popped up behind it, then another and another, until a line of the bright yellow flowers danced into the distance.

Kris smiled wide. “Papyrus, you mad genius! Thank you!” Clasping hands, the three friends ran off towards home. “I swear, that skeleton's gonna be my best man!”

“I thought that was gonna be me!”

“You assume too much!” 

* * *

Toriel was not happy with them when they finally returned, and telling her what they did only served to make her pass out. Asriel, who had been with her as she and her husband worried, managed to get them out of the room before she could wake back up. “I think you guys were really brave and all that, but it still was stupid going in there by yourselves. A _Souleater..._ ”

“Are you mad?” Ralsei asked.

“Oh, of course I am.” Asriel's voice was smooth and even. “I just don't have my mother's temperament.”

Kris breathed a sigh of relief at that.

Susie had been anxious the whole time for a different reason. “Where's Frisk?” she finally asked the older goat.

“Taking a nap.” Asriel raised his eyebrows. “It's unlike him, really. I'm sure he'd be glad to see you all are okay, though.”

“Thanks.” Pulling the ribbon from Ralsei's wrist (“Ow!”), she took off to the little boy's quarters. Panting, she reached the door and very carefully opened it. Sure enough, Frisk was slumbering peacefully in his bed. She crept over, taking off the locket, and slipped both it and the ribbon under his pillow. “Thanks,” she whispered. “You really saved us back there. Anything you need, you can ask me.”

She couldn't tell, but he may have smiled just a little bit. Standing up, she rubbed his hair and crept away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the magic in this is a bit literal, and spoken in alternate languages if they need to be spoken, so a couple of spells:  
>  _"Skjulte krefter, beskyt min kjærlighet!"_ (Norwegian) - "Hidden powers, protect my love!"  
>  _“Briseadh a cumhachd agus a corp!”_ (Scots Gaelic) - "Break her power and body!" (basically rude buster lmao)  
> i picked languages that i thought fit the european regions i based the locations of their kingdoms on, so susie lives in a more medieval scottish style region while the dreemurrs are basically vikings
> 
> sorry about the exposition dump after the fight but i wasn't sure where to put it tbh  
> i wasn't sure how to put together the souleater, so i went back to final fantasy x's lady yunalesca and that helped tremendously  
> also the devil's knife is basically supposed to be like the "chara" state if that wasn't clear  
> oh yeah and papyrus's flower-based scrying spell that i mentioned for like two seconds last chapter lmfaoooo


	4. Final Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A meeting of old friends with new family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well. this is the epilogue.  
> i really enjoyed writing this. this whole thing, although experimental at the start, somehow managed to grow past one chapter, and i love it so much. if you guys want, i'll write a bonus wedding scene, but until then, this is the end.  
> merry christmas to all, and to this fanfiction goodnight.

Due to certain circumstances, Susie wasn't able to return back to her home kingdom for another month. When the carriage finally rolled into the main square of Wyrda, it was a surreal experience. She expected so many things to be different (four years!), but practically nothing had changed. All the citizens still moved around on their daily schedules. The shops were all the same. The only difference she thought she could see was that things seemed...sadder. More faded. Like there was something missing.

Her stomach dropped. Oh. Right.

“You alright?” From her right, Kris put a comforting hand on her wrist.

It helped quell a little of the anxiety in her chest. Smiling, she clasped her hand with her husband's. “No,” she answered, “but I'll get there.”

He smiled back, squeezing her hand. “Good.” He leaned in.

She leaned in, too. The butterflies turned to warm fuzz.

From the other bench, little Frisk curled up his face and shook his head.

“Oh, don't give us that,” Kris said, pulling away. “It'll happen to you too! Ooo!” He wiggled his fingers.

Susie laughed. “Yeah! Ooo, the curse of happiness and joy will befall you!”

Frisk squirmed, shaking his head with such vigor she feared it would fall off. Cheered again, she turned to look out the window at the people on the street, and–

“Hey, wait! Driver, please stop!” She opened the door and got the attention of the coachman, who stopped the carriage, startled.

“Suse, what are you doing?” Kris grabbed the side of her gown just to be safe.

Susie looked over to where a man stood under a lamp, chatting with a small boy of about ten that was selling him the news. “Hey, Niko! Come here!”

The catboy's ears perked up under his hat, and he turned to the carriage. “Princess???”

“Yeah, it's me! Come ride with me!”

Niko forlornly looked down at the bag of papers on his shoulders. “I'm sorry, Princess, but I have a job to finish up, and you know Boss isn't...easy on slackers.”

Susie thought fast, then said, “Plight, are you free?” to the man under the lamppost.

Plight bowed. “Just finished up, Your Highness.”

“Cool. Get those papers back to this kid's boss and tell him to shove it, by order of Princess Susanna! Also, say hi to Ling for me!”

“At once!” He saluted, smiling, then took the burden from his young friend and comically bounded away.

Niko giggled, then ran up and boarded the carriage, taking the seat opposite from her. “You said you wanted me to ride with you?”

“Yeah, kid! Aw, man, you were so small last I saw you!” She reached across and scratched his ears. “Still cleaning out chimneys?”

“Only during the winter.” He glanced around, realizing that there were other people inside. “Um...who are these two?”

“Yeah, introduce us, Susie,” Kris said mockingly.

“Shh.” She gestured to the newcomer. “Guys, this is Niko. He's been helping with maintenance work around the castle since he was little, and I guess I just kind of adopted him or some junk. Niko...” She gestured first to the man seated next to her. “This is Prince Kristopher, my husband...”

“Your--” Immediately, Niko began to panic, pulling off his cap and bowing very very low.

“No, please, that's not necessary,” Kris pleaded, looking a little embarrassed. “I'm just a guy right now.”

“O-okay, Your Grace. I mean—Prince—uh, sir.”

“...Good enough.”

“And _this_ ,” Susie continued, “is his younger brother Frisk. I think you two would get along. Frisk, this is the kid I was telling you about before.”

Niko and Frisk looked at each other warily. Then, nervously, Niko put out his hand. “N-nice to meet you,” he stuttered.

Frisk froze up for a moment, then carefully took the offered hand and shook it. “You too,” he whispered.

Kris and Susie looked at each other, shock reflecting off each other's faces. Whatever they were expecting to happen, that was not at all it. But, they'd take it, because _wow_.

Soon, the two boys were quietly chatting over Frisk's wooden puzzle box, which was being solved much quicker with two pairs of interested eyes looking over it. Watching them work was so absorbing to the others that they didn't realize when they had finally gotten to the castle until the gentle rumbling of the wheels stopped. Suddenly, the butterflies surged back, turned into vipers, and struck with vengeance.

The coachman, opening the doors, helped everyone out in an orderly fashion. Susie was a little wobbly, but managed not to take a tumble.

“Do mine eyes deceive me? Hath our fair princess returnede home to her kingdome at laste?”

Ah, there was a familiar face. Dressed in a high-level servant's attire, the ever-tactful Rouxls Kaard stood before her, and clinging on to his leg as usual was his...son? The little blue servant boy Lancer. He had gotten so much bigger...

“Yeah, it's...” She couldn't focus. The doors loomed.

A hand enclosed hers, rubbing circles into it. She took a deep breath. “Yeah. Good to see you, Kaard.”

Kaard nodded. “Thou will be be quite alright, I do believe. Come alonge, Lancer, we must announce the arrivale.” Lancer, spacing out, hardly paid attention as his charge guided him back through the doors.

“Ready?” Kris whispered.

_No._ “Yes.”

“Liar.”

“I know.” And they, with the two boys trailing behind, entered the castle.

Inside, a beautiful and familiar hall decorated with portraits of the past Dargen family hanging in order of succession, all the way to the end, which boasted the biggest portraits of all, a throne room beyond...

And the King and Queen, both standing mouths agape, with tears in their eyes.

Despite her nerves, Susie couldn't help but smile as she started to cry as well. “I'm home,” she said.

 

_**The End** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i frequently like to mix oneshot, especially niko, with the undertale/deltarune universe. this will happen a lot going forward, because i do have some ideas for more krusie aus if they ever get off the ground, so don't be confused about that.  
> niko and frisk would be best friends and you will never change my mind.

**Author's Note:**

> this is officially the stupidest thing i've ever written kjfhaskdjfh


End file.
